The invention pertains to a device for establishing contact between a subject and a measuring unit using measurement technology, comprising at least one measuring means for connecting to the subject and at least one line, to which the measuring means is secured, wherein the line is configured in such a way that that the measurement variables detected by the measuring means can be conducted to the measuring unit.
The invention also pertains to a measurement system for measuring physiological values.
Finally, the invention pertains to the use of the device for establishing contact between a subject and a measuring unit using measurement technology.
It is known that mobile or stationary measuring units can be used to measure properties of the body and body functions of a subject, e.g., a human being or animal. The properties or functions to be measured are often bioimpedances, i.e., body impedances, heart functions, nerve functions, or electrocardiograms. For these measurements, it is necessary to connect the measuring unit to the subject to be measured. Essentially two different possibilities are available for establishing this connection.
First, the measuring unit can comprise contact sites such as gripping or standing surfaces, which, when contacted by the subject, establish the required connection. This realization of the contact between subject and measuring unit is described in, for example, DE 10 2010 023 122 A1. This pertains to a device which establishes the contact between a standing subject and the measuring unit.
The starting point of the invention is a second known device, which realizes the production of contact between the measuring unit and the subject by means of one or more lines, which can be tubes or cables. The lines are usually connected at one end to the measuring unit and to the subject by measuring means such as electrodes. Most body function measurements require several contact points on the subject, frequently on the extremities such as the arms and legs and in many cases on the hands or feet. Exactly one extremity is often assigned to the end of each line. This means that the several measurement sites on the subject must be connected correctly to the measuring means and lines assigned specifically to those sites. Two or more lines, furthermore, are often required for one measurement site on the subject. According to another variant, one line is divided into several smaller lines, each comprising measuring means at its end, all of which are attached to the subject. When this device is used, contact is preferably established while the subject is lying or sitting.
A weak point of the known device is that, when the contacts have been established to the subject—who can be a patient, for example—an extremely unpleasant feeling of being “wired” is produced. Possible consequences could be that the patient breaks off the measurement study or refuses to consider it in the first place.
Another disadvantage is that the correct assignment of the electrodes attached to the ends of the lines to the associated extremities can be realized only on the basis of positioning instructions communicated to the operating personnel by means of visual or tactile clues. There is thus the danger that an electrode can be positioned on the wrong extremity, that is, on the left hand instead of the right hand, on the left foot instead of the right foot, or on a hand instead of a foot—especially when the operators do not pay attention to the instructions or understand them incorrectly.
Another disadvantage of the known device is that the stowing of the lines for transport or storage after the end of the measurement is cumbersome and tedious. There is also the latent danger of damage. A solution to the damage problem upon stowage known from the prior art consists in preventing the lines from snapping or twisting off by providing them with a protective jacket. The jacket, however, does not reliably protect against these forms of damage and causes the lines to become stiff, which makes them more difficult to handle and restricts the freedom of movement of the subject after the measuring means attached to the lines have been connected. The jacketing of the lines also has the effect of increasing the minimum possible coiling radius of the lines, which makes it impossible to stow the lines in a small package. Another disadvantage of this known device is that the lines tend to become knotted, twisted, or tangled. This makes the device even more difficult to manage.